The Blogging of Webster 582

Unlike in restaurants, wines don’t play second fiddle here – they’re the star. Sure, you’re likely to find your favourite classic varietals, but these venues will also push you to try the latest in biodynamic, organic and natural wines. We’re going to be opening with a version of our shiitake sundae from Amaru. From here this will become more of a seasonal staple to the menu. Everything on our menu is designed to be no-fuss, eat-with-your-fingers food. Start with a serving of our buckwheat pastries topped with different cuts of Great Ocean duck, followed by the smoked kangaroo tartare on toast with anchovy and green olive.
Behind that bar there are over 100 bottles of wine, with a whopping 17 by the glass ($10–14). Those focus on natural drops and span labels from France, Spain and Argentina, along with quite a few from Victoria’s wine regions. At the moment, the must-try is the natural Grilled Fish Melbourne fermentation sparkling by French winemaker Varichon & Clerc. Grab a seat at the wrap-around marble bar and you’ll be sorted for the night. Looking directly across at grand old Parliament House is a small, intimate wine bar that’s a small slice of Europe.

Check out some more Melbourne wine and food with our list of the best events at the 2018 MFWF. Last but certainly not least, this joint is a favourite to many, particularly those who are lucky enough to be locals, and for good reason. Produce and wine rotate regularly, featuring whatever the guys behind the cosy wooden bar are loving at the moment, and whatever is in season. Describe what you feel like trying, and they will likely be able to muster up a glass to meet your needs. This is aMelbourne institutionand has been welcoming patrons since 1998 staying open to the early hours of the morning serving supper and more substantial dishes.
Order a plate of charcuterie and some share plates and there is not much else you could wish for. Set on a corner with big glass windows so you can watch the world pass by,Luxsmithis a “bar and wine store”. It’s the perfect place to hang out with friends or pick up a bottle to match dinner at home. There is wine every way you turn, so choosing which one becomes your only problem at this relaxed, neighbourhood venue.

One can never have too many wine bars on the rotation so here is another to add to your list. The latest project from chef-restaurateur Clinton McIver, Appellation is set to open that the end of this month. A neighbourhood favourite since day one, at Atlas Vinifera it’s all about the wine. To browse through their 400-strong shelves is to take a trip to every winemaking corner of the world, starting with a lowkey local Chardy and ending with a drop-dead gorgeous Chablis.
At this intimate, cultured Thornbury bar, you can practise your Italian in the bathrooms, where language lessons are piped through the speakers. Drinks are sourced solely from the Boot, and snacks of fritto misto (golden-fried seafood) arrive quick-smart on the table. For the most up-to-date information, please check directly with the venue. Atlas Vinifera has invested money in its compelling and incredibly well-stocked shelves, it has invested time in staff training, and it has a highly functional space while remaining entirely independent.
Blue Tongue is a Wine Bar & Restaurant located in the heart of Elwood Village in Melbourne’s South not far from the bay. We serve lunch and dinner daily, and we are best known for our modern Australian menu and we are particularly proud to serve arguably among Melbourne’s best flame grilled steak’s. We also have a great selection of tap or craft beers available. We've joined forces with The European restaurant next door, and are serving a combined menu of City Wine Shop and The European classics with seating across both of these venue spaces. We love to support the small, passionate producers we have right on our doorstep.

This lavish, split-down-the-centre space was designed with the spirit of 1920s Paris and New York in mind. Have a cheese trolley wheeled to your table, sip Ernest Hemingway-inspired cocktails, or settle in for a long lunch with free-flowing magnums. This tiny Collingwood bar doesn't have a kitchen – so it serves a lot of cheese, including raclette. A great bar at any point in the evening, but the aperitivo hour – from 4pm–7pm – offers $5 spritzes and bar snacks. Andrew McConnell's wine and snack bar, right next to Cutler & Co, with gun sommelier Liam O'Brien floating between the two. We have lots on this month including our Valentines Day Special Dinner, Live Australian Open Tennis on the big screen and we are also happy to announce our Friday lunches are back from midday every Friday.
Instead, Kirks blends the old world with the new; not as romantic as other wine bars, but exuding an undeniable buzz. Nursing a Chardonnay at one of their alfresco tables on a summers days is one of life’s real pleasures. There are many other great wine bars in Melbourne, like Congress, Eva on Drummond and Napier Quarter, to name a few. It of course depends on the vibe you like and the wine you’re into, but we reckon the above 5 rarely disappoint. Educating the good people of Toorak on the wonders of natural and biodynamic wines, the folks at Toorak Cellars have enough tried-and-tested examples to keep everybody happy. A wine cellar in a terrace house sounds better suited to the leafy back streets of Fitzroy or East Brunswick, but Milton Wine is smack, bang in the middle of the high-priced burbs.